1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for creation of an overview representation of medical data sets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In medical diagnostics, it is frequently necessary for a doctor or radiologist to evaluate a number of data sets in the generation of a finding. Using existing data sets originating, for example, from various imaging examination modalities (such as magnetic resonance tomography or computed tomography), it is the object of the doctor to establish which treatment course and which therapeutic measures are to be considered for the patient. Particularly in cancer therapy, the therapeutic measures depend on the current state of the cancer. It is thereby important to establish the localization of the tumors and possible metastases in order to be able to assess the extent, if any, to which further organs are affected or can be affected by the cancer. For example, by means of magnetic resonance whole-body examinations it is possible to map the entire body of a patient and possibly present metastases. However, since functional information from the magnetic resonance measurement does not always exist, the differentiation between benign and malignant tumors, is not always possible. Further examinations, for example by means of computed tomography or positron emission tomography, are therefore frequently necessary.
The medical assessment of the existing data sets of a patient frequently represent a problem for the treating doctor since these can be surveyed only with difficulty sue to the large abundance of data. It is thus difficult to keep track of the associations between multiple data sets, in particular when these have been acquired by means of different examination modalities. A frequent change between the observation of the data sets is additionally necessary, which further extends and complicates the process of making a finding.